Split

While most Dalmatian coastal towns seem made for tourists, Split is real and vibrant — a shipbuilding city with ugly sprawl surrounding an atmospheric Old Town, which teems with Croatians living life to the fullest. If you've been hopping along the coast, landing in urban Split feels like a return to civilization. And with an Old Town built into the nooks and crannies of Emperor Diocletian's fourth-century retirement palace, Split has some of the best Roman ruins this side of Italy. A maze of narrow alleys is home to fashionable boutiques and galleries, wonderfully atmospheric cafés, and Roman artifacts around every corner.